Klaviyo vs Mailchimp (2026): Pricing, Shopify Features and Which to Choose
Disclosure: SoftwareStackPro may earn a commission if you sign up through some links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It never changes our verdicts. Read our affiliate disclosure.
💡 Selling on Shopify? See our best email marketing software for Shopify.
Klaviyo is the better choice for ecommerce stores that want SMS, predictive analytics and deep Shopify data. It costs more as your list grows.
Mailchimp is cheaper and easier for small lists, newsletters and service businesses. It can still run abandoned cart emails for a Shopify store.
Which one fits your store?
Pick your list size and tick the features you care about. The calculator shows the monthly price of each plan and our pick for you.
Klaviyo vs Mailchimp: cost and fit calculator
Pick your list size and tick what matters. The cheaper plan is outlined in red.
Klaviyo Email plan prices from Klaviyo’s pricing calculator as reported by Emailtooltester (August 2026) and Kanal (October 2026). Mailchimp regular monthly prices from Emailtooltester (August 2026) and mailchimp.com. Monthly billing, USD, before tax.
How each one charges
Klaviyo charges by active profiles. An active profile is any profile that can receive email from Klaviyo, so suppressed profiles do not count (Klaviyo help).
If your list grows past your tier, Klaviyo moves you up automatically. Your bill does not drop on its own when the list shrinks unless you change plans or turn on auto downgrade.
Mailchimp charges by contacts. Each plan also caps monthly sends at a multiple of your contacts: 10x on Essentials, 12x on Standard and 15x on Premium (Mailchimp pricing).
Price by list size
| List size | Klaviyo Email | Mailchimp Essentials | Mailchimp Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $20 | $13 | $20 |
| 1,000 | $30 | not verified | not verified |
| 2,500 | $60 | $45 | $60 |
| 5,000 | $100 | $75 | $100 |
| 10,000 | $150 | $110 | $135 |
| 25,000 | $400 | $270 | $310 |
Klaviyo: Emailtooltester (August 2026) and Kanal (October 2026), both reading Klaviyo’s price calculator. Mailchimp: Emailtooltester (August 2026); Mailchimp shows 12 month promotional rates on its own page. Monthly prices, USD.
Up to 5,000 subscribers, Klaviyo Email and Mailchimp Standard cost about the same. Past 10,000, Mailchimp Standard pulls ahead on price.
Mailchimp Essentials is cheaper still, but it limits automation flows to 4 steps. See our full Mailchimp pricing guide.
Free plans compared
| Klaviyo Free | Mailchimp Free | |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | 250 active profiles | 250 contacts |
| Email sends | 500 a month | 500 a month, 250 a day |
| SMS | $5 a month of mobile messages | Not included |
| Support | Email for the first 60 days | Email for the first 30 days |
Sources: Klaviyo pricing (checked 3 November 2026), Mailchimp pricing, Emailtooltester.
Klaviyo swapped its old SMS credits for a flat $5 monthly value in July 2026. Both free plans are only good for testing, so compare other free plans if you want to stay free longer.
Ecommerce features
| Feature | Klaviyo | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify integration | Built around ecommerce data | Intuit Mailchimp app: customer, product and order sync, abandoned carts |
| Predictive analytics | Predicted lifetime value, churn risk, next order date | Predicted lifetime value and purchase likelihood on Standard and above |
| Predictive data needs | 500+ customers with orders and 180+ days of history | A connected store with enough data |
| Automation | Flows on every plan | Essentials 4 flow steps, Standard 200 flows |
Sources: Klaviyo predictive analytics, Mailchimp predictive features, Mailchimp Shopify app, Mailchimp pricing.
Mailchimp left the Shopify App Store in 2019 and came back with a direct integration in October 2021. Today its app has over 1,500 reviews on the Shopify App Store, so it is a fair choice for a simple store.
Klaviyo still wins when you want to segment by what people bought, how often, and what they are likely to buy next.
SMS
Klaviyo sends SMS in the US, Canada, the UK, much of Europe, Australia and New Zealand, all inside the same flows as email (Klaviyo help). You pay for messages on top of your email plan.
Mailchimp SMS is a paid add on from Essentials up, covering the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and about 30 more countries (Mailchimp help). Unused Mailchimp SMS credits do not roll over.
Which one should you choose?
- You run a Shopify or ecommerce store
- You want SMS in the same flows
- You have the order history for predictive data
- You send newsletters or run a service business
- Your list is over 10,000 and budget matters
- You want the friendliest editor
Want something cheaper than both? Our Brevo vs Mailchimp and best email tools for ecommerce guides cover lower cost options.
Frequently asked questions
Is Klaviyo more expensive than Mailchimp?
At most list sizes, yes, if you compare email only. At 5,000 subscribers both cost about $100 a month (Klaviyo Email vs Mailchimp Standard), but at 25,000 Klaviyo is $400 against $310.
Is Klaviyo better than Mailchimp for Shopify?
For most growing Shopify stores, yes. Klaviyo is built around ecommerce data, with predictive lifetime value, churn risk and next order date, and SMS in the same flows.
Does Mailchimp still work with Shopify?
Yes. The Intuit Mailchimp app on the Shopify App Store syncs customers, products and orders and supports abandoned cart emails.
What does Klaviyo count as an active profile?
Any profile that can receive email from Klaviyo. Suppressed profiles do not count, and you can suppress unengaged profiles to lower your bill.
Which free plan is better?
They are almost identical now: both allow 250 contacts or profiles and 500 email sends a month. Klaviyo adds $5 a month of SMS or mobile messages.
